Monday, July 27, 2009

Health Care & Charity

The following is from the blog post, Letter to a "friend" about health care, specifically from the email Dave's friend sent to Dave about Obama's proposed health care plan:
We also can be and often are a charitable people. Government should not have the right or power to make our choices or our charitable contributions for us.
Now, to be completely honest, I'm not a big fan of putting politics at the head of, well, anything. However, relying on people to freely act charitably isn't working. Truth be told, more often than not, people simply aren't charitable.

I'm speaking from personal experience (by "personal experience" I mean I need to see a doctor but can't afford it -- not that I, more often than not, simply am'nt [sic] charitable... I do try to be truly charitable in my every day practice).

In my last two posts, I mentioned a slight numbness on the right side of my body. Although it's let up a little bit on my upper body, my right foot is starting to feel more and more numb each day, and my concern has been affecting my already out-of-whack sleeping schedule (if you can call it a schedule). To compound the situation, as I'm getting more sleep deprived and exhausted, my depression, anxiety, and OCD are flaring up significantly.

To put it solemnly, I'm worried.

But I'm at the beginning of starting up my own business, so I have no insurance and no money. I am completely at the mercy of these fabled "charitable" people... meaning, I'm pretty much screwed.

I honestly don't have anyone to turn to. The people who would help me can't afford it... and the people who can afford it... well, from my experience, asking them for financial help comes with strings -- either in the form of a debt owed or stock in how I'm to live my life.

... I have more to say, but it's just going to end up as a me venting about... well, I'll keep even the specific topic of my frustration behind a held tongue...

I should be trying to get some sleep now, anyway.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Andrew. Long time since we chatted last.

    I haven't read over Obama's healthcare plan or heard of it because simply, I am avoiding politics for now. The financial situation in California has me thoroughly disillusioned with politics. California, IMO, might as well file for Chapter 13.

    I have "health care coverage" but receive assistance from my dad in paying it. Health care costs have skyrocketed since the 1980's. I know too many people who have been stripped of their coverage due to losing their jobs, or have to work 40+ hours a week to pay basic monthly dues.

    I don't bother with my job's 'coverage' because it would cost me $723 if I were to break a leg or something similar. Quite simply, it would be cheaper for me to die. Cynical, negative, but its the truth.

    In my strongly held opinion, neither the government or the Republican right care about those who are not as fortunate as they in terms of finances, health care coverage, or things of that nature. And nor do the Democrats, really.

    Oh yes, and when you DO have health insurance, the HMO is SPECIFICALLY told which procedures it can or cannot perform on patients. Meaning, that if a doctor knows full well that a procedure can save a life, he/she may not be able to do so. The result? The person DIES.

    There is also another story of a guy in Georgia that was hospitalized due to heart myopathy. A heart transplant could have saved him. Yet, his family cannot afford it, so he may well die.

    In my view, those that oppose health care reform need to take a long look at their own hearts before putting out blanket statements about so called "socialized medicine."

    I reference Matthew 25:31-40.

    Peace,

    Andrew

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  2. It baffles me that someone could call themselves a Christian, but not believe that every person has the right not to die due to a insurance company's self-interests. At least with government healthcare there would be a semblance of taking care of each other...you know, that whole charity thing Jesus talked about.

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  3. I think of myself as Libertarian-leaning independent, and I think serious health care reform does need to take place, but I have concerns about most proposed socialized health care plans because of the choices and excellence they might drastically stifle not by law but by economic and sociological implications many proponents seem to overlook.

    That said, I wish I knew what to suggest for you, and I hope you get whatever help you need, and I hope you can rest easier so as to not exacerbate anything. In the meantime, I'd love to see a system start to develop that could take care of my friends in your situation and myself if any such thing happens to me while I'm uninsured. It's an uncomfortable position to be in for sure. Most importantly, I hope you're well.

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